Kicking off the first blog post of 2018 here, and it's been a little while since my last post, and then finishing up a busy November and December, and then getting in the festive mood for Christmas and New Year!

So, January 2018 is well underway now, and although the first couple of weeks have been quiet, there are plans afoot, and the projects are beginning to line up now, and I should have some new work to share very soon.

Over 40 Million Monthly Unique Users Nominated Best Home Improvement and Design Professionals in the UK and Around the World

ABERDEEN, Scotland, January 19, 2018 – Niall Hastie Photography of Aberdeen has won “Best Of Customer Service” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home renovation and design. The Architectural & Interior Photography firm was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, home improvement and design industry professionals.

The Best Of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. Design award winners’ work was the most popular among the more than 40 million monthly users on Houzz. Customer Service honours are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2017. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognised with the Photography award. A “Best Of Houzz 2018” badge will appear on winners’ profiles, as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals on Houzz.

“I am delighted to have been awarded a Best of Houzz 2018 award for Customer Service. This recognises the effort and attention to detail that I undertake every clients project with, and that I always aim to give the best possible service to all my clients at all times.” - Niall Hastie.

“We’re so pleased to award Best of Houzz 2018 to this incredible group of talented and customer-focused professionals, including Niall Hastie Photography,” said Marcus Hartwall, Managing Director of Houzz UK and Ireland. “Each of these businesses was singled out for recognition by our community of homeowners and design enthusiasts for helping to turn their home improvement dreams into reality.”

About Niall Hastie PhotographyI am a professional photographer specialising in Architectural, Interior, Real Estate & Commercial photography. Collaborating with architects, interior designers, property developers, estate agents, hoteliers, restaurateurs, advertising agencies & other commercial businesses, and also private individuals, across Scotland and the UK. I always aim to produce images which evoke the atmosphere of spaces and also show the detail and quality of the design and elements.

About HouzzHouzz is the leading platform for home renovation and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish – online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, buy products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin, Sydney, Moscow and Tokyo. Houzz and the Houzz logo are registered trademarks of Houzz Inc. worldwide. For more information, visit houzz.co.uk

Having not posted for a few weeks, I thought I should do a quick update...

With some property projects just completed but work still ongoing with editing and delivery, I don't have any new commercial images to share just yet, but there should be some new stuff coming soon.

However, I did recently attend the 2017 Offshore Europe exhibition at Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre (AECC) in a working capacity. My client there, De Boer Structures Ltd, were responsible for the temporary structures that housed much of the show and had requested photography of these structures while in use for their portfolios and marketing materials.

So, ensuring that I picked the best looking day in terms of weather (for the exterior shots required) I travelled along and after eventually finding somewhere to park in the vicinity I met with my contact and started to determine what shots would be required and what would work best with the busy nature of the venue.

A few hours and much walking around later I was done, and had the images in the bag, which I'm pleased to say the client was delighted with.... job done!

Gourdon bay at sunset.

An evening trip down to Gourdon, just south of Aberdeen recently, to meet up with family/friends and sample the delights of local Lobster freshly caught and prepared was a very delicious couple of hours!

When we arrived it was wet, and the rain was gently falling, but this eventually stopped and the clouds broke just as sunset approached, allowing us to go for a walk along the shoreline and across the rocks - but only after we had devoured our super delicious 'Lobster suppers' from the Quayside Restaurant !!

Mmmm... so fresh and tasty!

After the food was had and we were weather had dried up, the Mavic was brought out and I attempted to get some aerial footage around the bay, but with the light fading, I'm not too sure about how great the footage is!

My time being spent in Adobes Premiere Pro is starting to pay off too, with my editing skills improving steadily! Lots more to learn and practice still though !

In other news, we also visited the 'Braemar Gathering' a couple of weeks ago on the 2nd September, with one of our friends. The weather played its part and it was a gloriously sunny and warm day out at Braemar to enjoy the games and entertainments!

I've got some video and images somewhere too !

Another evening trip out recently was a visit to Newburgh beach, north of Aberdeen..

This is one of my favourite beaches in the North East, and I love visiting here, whether its for photography or just for a walk along the sand or over the dunes.

Sunset at Newburgh beach / Ythan estuary.

This particular visit was timed so that we could catch the sunset behind the beach and enjoy the colours as the sun dipped down below the horizon. Although I had my camera gear with me, as the weather was so nice & calm this evening, most of my time went into flying the Mavic and getting some aerial video & photographs to edit later. Being able to fly the Mavic in such a great location, with good weather was a treat, and I got some nice footage for sure.

Over the next couple of days I edited some of the clips together and released a new uploaded video to my YouTube account (link below)... if you haven't seen it, check the link below and give it a like and maybe even subscribe to my channel!! - I'm trying to create more regular content and will be putting more and more clips and stuff up in the coming months.

Thanks for taking the time to check out my blog!

Don't forget, if you've any questions or comments I'd love to hear them, and if you are interested in my architectural and commercial photography services for a project then please get in touch!